I-61 in feet

[wolves3012]

Does anyone else have an I-61 "panda" with a focussing scale in FEET?

All my dozen-plus FSU lenses are in metres...but the FED 3b I just got has a "panda" with a scale in feet, so I just wondered if this is common...

 

[pshinkaw]

I think it's very uncommon. At least if you are buying from Russia or the Ukraine. They may have been specially marked to sell through retailers in the UK. There was a big importer of Soviet photo equipment into the UK at one time and they may have been able to get specially modified equipment.

When did the UK go metric?

-Paul

 

[Xmas]

Going metric does not mean that we stopped buying cameras in feet...

Most of the FSU cameras officially imported to UK will be in feet, and there were large numbers imported, this is also true for Contax and LTM, I'd imagine that was true for official imports into the USA/Canada.

Although we design things in metric, and may weigh in metric in shops most people still think in feet and inches or dual standard.

Noel

 

[pshinkaw]

There were very few official imports of Soviet made cameras into the US. Hence anything that came in from the USSR was metric. Since the US was such a large market back in the heydey of film, almost everything that could be imported into the US came in feet. Even German equipment was marked in feet for the US import market and for US military PX sales, but metric for other markets. That was probably another way for the importers to keep track of gray market imports too.

I was wondering if there was an official date for the UK to have gone metric. That might help date the particular lens. From your answer, it seems that I am on the wrong track.

-Paul

 

[wolves3012]

The body is marked "Made in USSR" so I'm assuming it's an export (from USSR!) model but that's also true for several other FSUs I have, yet they are metric.

The daftest scale is on my FED 3a actually, with divisions at 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8 etc metres - talk about confusing, I always have to double-check I'm not looking at the aperture scale!

 

[Xmas]

E.g. the FSU exported to E and W Germany, all of the Metric countries would have got metric lenses, some would have had English 'Made in USSR' the subsidies varied...

Noel

 

[pshinkaw]

My Soviet collection contains 32 bodies, most of which came with lenses that were likely original equipment. Only three were marked "Made in the USSR " (in Latin characters). A Zorki-1 (Zorki-Zorki Cyrillic/Latin model), a Zorki-6 and a Fed-3b. All of those lenses were marked in meters, albeit the more conventional metric gradations (no 2.8 meters). Three of my four Kiev's are marked CCCP. None of the lenses (or the lens mounts in the case of the Kievs) are marked in feet.

Most of my purchases were directly from the Ukraine or Russia. I think 3 or4 came from a US Seller, but they represented to me that they themselves acquired them from the Ukraine or Russia or in one case, brought the camera when he emigrated.

It seems that a lot of so called "export models" stayed in the USSR. However, I think that in the US a lens marked in feet would be very uncommon.

The situation could be different with SLR lenses. I have very few of those and I think many were direct imported in the US.

-Paul

 

[Xmas]

I've a Contax II and an Elmar scaled in feet.

Never seen feet on a Kiev, even the official imports.

I'll check my FSU and report.

Noel

 

[Xmas]

The timeline was '65 adoption of metrication to be completed by '75, at uni in '63 the degree was in CGS and MKS system.

Normally the serial number will date the lens.

Noel.

 

[wolves3012]

Serial number starts "65" so is that a 1965? Is it true for FED-type lenses? I know that works for most Zorki bodies...

As an OT - is there a way to date FED bodies from serial numbers (besides FED 1, which I know a page to look on!)?

 

[Xmas]

I have two I61 pandas, I looked at both, the 70xxxxx is a English official import and is scaled in English, I had not noticed before, innured to working in Metric!

My Fed 3 has a serial number of 85xxxxx and a lens of 85xxxxx, dont know when they may have changed.

Noel

 

[Jocko]

In truth, I don't think that the first two digits of FED lens serials indicate the year of manufacture, as is the case with KMZ lenses. I have a FED 4 (8668933), with a Panda in feet (8696903). I suspect that Paul is right and they were simply produced for TOE: Great Britain was always a primary market for Soviet goods and similar modifications were common.

Cheers, Ian